Looking for guidance from anyone with experience with these printers.
I currently have the i9900, and have been using it happily for a few years. The main use is for 13x19 glossy sports prints/posters. I do some work with other paper finishes, and some B&W stuff. The speed is great, and the glossy pictures and deep colors are excellent.
The main issue I'm having with the i9900 is the life of the prints. They tend to fade after 1 - 1.5 years. After 2+ years it's quite noticeable. On the B&W white prints it's not as noticable, but in color prints there is a marked color shift as the prints age. (I'm using Canon photo paper pro predominantly for the color glossy prints.)
Supposedly, the pigment based inks of the 9500 will hold up much better, but i'm worried about the deep saturation and glossiness. Will it be as good as with the i9900 ?
The 9500 is a great printer. The prints are vibrant, and retain longevity. There is a glossy paper type which is similar to Photo paper pro--should be listed as an art paper (and can also be borderless). The ink seems to last longer than the i9900; not sure why--and not related to more ink tanks either. Amazing B&W which includes those tones within the colour photos also. I use the plugin included, but only for CS2: this gives perfect colour as seen on the computer monitor. I own both those printer and the 9500 is much, much greater. I also print now on the Art papers b/c of quality.
the Canon eStore will tell you which Canon papers are compatible with the P9500. The "glossiest" Canon paper is the Phot Paper Pro Semi-Gloss. I tink you need some texture on the paper surface because it is pigment ink. The Photo Paper Pro is good for dye inks because there are no solids - the dye is absorbed into the paper versus adhering to it.
Perhaps ther are some third party papers that will work, but I cannot help ther.
You might try Ilford Gallerie Smooth Gloss. It is a pigment compatible paper and should work fine with the 9500. You might need a custom profile, but the paper works well with my R1800 and the Ilfords seem to be somewhat flexible and consistent between printers.
You are not going to get a pigment based printer to print on super glossy paper with equivalent results of a dye based printer. Canon's latest Pro9000 dye based printer claims better life for prints than the i9900. But all print life specs are for prints mounted behind glass and kept out of the sun.
I spoke to a Canon rep yesterday at a local dealer and she indicated to me that the 9500 uses archival ink that differs from the inks used in the 9900 and pro9000. It has 10 tanks compared to the 8 the 9000 uses.
She said that the longevity of the inks on the 9500 is many times that of any other Canon printer in the group.
From Canon's website:
In one giant leap, the all-new PIXMA Pro9500 takes your work from merely "beautiful" to "extraordinary." With 10 full-time color pigment inks, advanced new software, camera-direct printing of contact sheets, and support for fine art papers up to 13"x19", it's the new standard for creating your own professional images.
For photographers that need high-contrast or beautifully reproduced colors, photographers need look no further than the PIXMA Pro9500. Its 10-color pigment ink system includes gray, black and matte black cartridges that collectively produce monochrome photographs of unrivaled quality on both fine art paper and glossy photo paper. With pigment ink, photographers will enjoy incredibly smooth gradations and can create long-lasting prints that resist the damaging effects of light for up to 100 years.
